Town Square

Commission throws support, cash behind City Hall art

Original post made
on Oct 18, 2013

The city's Public Art Commission committed $50,000 -- half its annual budget -- over the next two years on Thursday night to support bringing a new media art project to City Hall's lobby, which is scheduled for renovations beginning in January or February.

Posted by member
a resident of Charleston Meadows
on Oct 18, 2013 at 7:29 pm

The Weekly I got today talked about a bond issue for structural upgrades. Last Monday night the CC committed $250K in discretionary funds for the homeless project. So money is flying out the door for anything but what the bond issue would address - the essential fixes that need to be made. And now you are asking the artist to spend money in the anticipation of an award. Do we expect to see an article in the Mercury the puts the fix in here so that the CC needs to put the money up to save face?
The first thing that needs to be done is to assess what the city has as a priority and how much is available for it and let the people make some input here. It is like a group of people that need to justify their jobs by continually bringing up new schemes rather than managing the requirements we have on the table now. Like when is the new community center going to open - that is an unfinished effort. I am sure that more money is need to get this city commitment opened.

Posted by art lover
a resident of Adobe-Meadow
on Oct 18, 2013 at 7:48 pm

It seems the committee that selects Palo Alto art, is not a good committee. The selection has been very sad, just
like what Los Altos has been putting on their downtown streets. Perhaps we could have new judges, ones that
are in the art field. The art you are talking about for the lobby of the City hall will not be seen by most people. How about getting a "good " sculpture for outside city hall in the big open space.

OMG! Please, no more hideous public art. I cringe every time I drive down California Avenue and see the public art. What a joke. Who are the incompetents that select the art for this town?? They need to be axed, just like the Architectural Review Board, the City Manager and the City Council. Ignorance, incompetence and corruption abound in Palo Alto's city hall.

Posted by The fools you know
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Oct 19, 2013 at 10:02 am

The PAC must be peopled by either blind members, tasteless members, members with no,art education whatsoever, members who do not wish to represent the population they serve, or members with no priorities at all.

The city needs no more art, especially silly and tasteless art that is simply unwanted.

We NEED wider, improved roadways, more parking spaces, with meters if necessary, and more traffic control. We DO NOT need any esoterica!

Posted by Mark Weiss
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Oct 24, 2013 at 1:12 pm

For $850,000 we may be able to get Sam Yates. He's good with new media; he's good with new math. It would be fun to turn all 8 floors of 250 Hamilton into some type of temporary -- for the next couple years at least -- installation art with people pretending to push papers around and acting inscrutably -- like something in a Tom Stoppard play or based on Guy DeBord -- and then figure out a way to let certain well-connected or frankly desperate computer or social media firms put their twist on this and showcase their private enterprises and gadgets at our expense. Maybe some people will not even notice the difference, if it's done well (and I mean very droll).